The Falcoholic
Note: Rankings predate TNF game vs. Buccaneers
It’s official. The Atlanta Falcons are eliminated from playoff contention. This will make the eighth consecutive year in a row for Falcons fans to miss out on their favorite team playing in the dance, and the fans deserve more.
More from the coaching staff, from the front office, from everyone.
This is a talented team that admittedly had some bad injury luck, but it should never have gotten to the point where the top of the division is fighting to stay above .500 heading into December, and the Falcons don’t even have a shot at the dance.
Outside of the Falcons, the rest of the league is in a heated battle throughout, with 23 teams vying for all 14 playoff spots, which are still up for grabs. But even better, we have a few teams that can clinch their spots in the playoffs: The Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Los Angeles Rams can all clinch a spot in the dance this week with wins against their opponents.
As for the rankings themselves, let’s get after it:
Hanging 39 points and still looking like one of the more prolific offenses against a scrappy Falcons defense is one thing. Completely blanking the Falcons’ passing attack and having a breakout game for Nick Emmanwori is a whole other thing. The Seahawks are still playing some of the best ball in the league right now.
After a week of much-needed rest, the Patriots suit up and head out for the potential game of the week, and a potential AFC Championship preview against their rival, the Buffalo Bills.
A massive win against the Bears puts the Packers back in the driver’s seat in the NFC North, and a win against the Denver Broncos would validate the Packers as a bona fide Super Bowl contender.
This NFC West race is the story to watch down the stretch of the season. The Rams and Seahawks are trading blows back and forth, and don’t sleep on the 49ers. The Rams made sure to remind the Cardinals that they were not a part of the discussion with their performance on Sunday.
This one may go down as Denver’s ninth win in a one-score game, but this one against the Raiders was over pretty quickly. Denver’s defense is suffocating, the offense is doing enough to win ball games, and they hold the pole position in the AFC right now. It does not look pretty, and that’s just how Sean Payton likes it these days.
This Lions team has too much equity with me for me not to think they will find a way to edge out the Bears for that final playoff spot. That being said, they have arguably the best team in...
